KATHMANDU, Jan 24: Nepali U-19 cricket team left for Bangladesh on Monday for three practice matches scheduled this week. Nepali U-19 cricketers, who are to compete in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup in Thailand from February 1 to 10, are playing the practice matches on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday against Bangladesh U-19 in Sylhet.
National Sports Council (NSC) and Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) bade farewell to the team, which has Prithu Baskota as captain, Jagat Tamata as coach and Basanta Raj Satyal (Arun) as manager.
However, pacer Rahul Pratap Singh and batsman Rajesh Pulami did not fly Monday as they have yet to complete the official procedure for the tour.
During the farewell function, skipper Baskota vowed that his team would live up to the expectation of all Nepali cricket fans and bring back the trophy to the country.
CAN President Binay Raj Pandey said that past U-19 teams have remained the backbone of senior team in Nepal and expressed confidence that the current team also would continue the glory of ´giant killer´ in the ACC U-19 Elite Cup. “You are emerging cricketers of our nation and past U-19 teams have contributed to building Nepal´s image as a cricketing nation. You should live up to the expectation,” said Pandey addressing to the team members.
NSC Member-Secretary Hari Babu Chaudhary expressed his best wishes to the team. “I´m sure this team would gain experience in Bangladesh and do better in the ACC tournament,” said Chaudhary.
Meanwhile, Coach Tamata said that he doesn´t aim anything less than winning the tournament. “Our ultimate aim is to win the title,” said Tamata. “We have very good spin attack and we have some experienced players as well.”
After a decade-long tenure of Sri Lankan coach Roy Luke Dias, Tamata is the first Nepali coach of the Nepali U-19 team. “The tournament is a challenge for not only the players but also for me,” added Tamata.
Nepal are four time champions of the tournament in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Fixture:
Practice
Jan 26 – Vs Bangladesh U-19
Jan 27 – Vs Bangladesh U-19
Jan 29 – Vs Bangladesh U-19
ACC U-19 Elite Cup at Thailand
Feb 1 – Vs UAE
Feb 2 – Vs Oman
Feb 4 – Vs Afghanistan
Feb 5 – Vs Thailand
From MyRepublica.com
